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Journalism of Courage
As the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of several farmer unions, prepares to hold a statewide protest at Chandigarh’s Sector 43 ground on Wednesday to mark five years of its historic struggle against the now-repealed farm laws, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab is simultaneously grappling with a wave of public anger across multiple constituencies. From farmers and engineers to lawyers and ordinary residents, several protests since November 15 have placed the ruling party on the defensive.
The first flashpoint emerged on November 15 in Ferozepur city after the murder of RSS volunteer Naveen Arora. When local AAP MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar visited Arora’s house, he was confronted by angry family members and residents who questioned his presence. They demanded that instead of merely visiting the house, he should “go to the police and get the case solved”. Bhullar stood silently with folded hands as tensions grew. Although three arrests have been made so far, the main shooters remain at large.
Just three days later, on November 18, Ferozepur Rural MLA Rajnish Kumar Dahiya faced a hostile situation in Suliana village during the inauguration of a public park. A section of villagers accused Dahiya of delaying works in the constituency, leading to the late completion of projects. “The confrontation soon escalated into brief stone pelting. While the stones did not hit anyone, the action sent out a strong message of discontent among the masses,” a villager from Suliana said.
“During the 2022 poll campaign, AAP leaders themselves used to promote stone pelting to show anger to the then ruling party leaders over non-performance, and now they are likely to get a taste of it themselves,” said Lakhbir Singh, a resident of Jhok Hari Har village in Ferozepur Rural constituency.
He added that from November 17 to 19, villagers of Jhok Hari Har held a dharna on the Ferozepur–Muktsar road over its poor condition. “BJP leader Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, SAD leader Joginder Singh Jindu and even Ferozepur Congress MP Sher Singh Ghubaya addressed our dharna. Ghubaya even sat for hours at the protest site on November 18. It was only on November 19 that the Ferozepur Rural MLA came and got the work started. He even apologised for this delay,” he said.
Around the same time, another road-related protest had erupted in the Mamdot area of Ferozepur district, though the administration eventually persuaded villagers to lift the dharna.
On November 20, a fresh controversy emerged during a protest in Kharar town against the state government’s decision to merge 35 villages of Mohali constituency into Rupnagar district. While addressing the crowd, AAP MLA Dr Charanjit Singh, representing Chamkaur Sahib of Rupnagar district, remarked, “I am an educated doctor, an ophthalmologist, and I do not like it when a 10th pass person asks me questions.”
The statement triggered immediate backlash from protestors, including lawyers and residents. They retorted that the MLA should first “check the qualification of all MLAs of his own party as many are 10th or 12th pass,” with some even saying he should “seek votes only from graduates hereafter”. Sensing the anger, Dr Singh apologised from the stage, but the remark has since resurfaced repeatedly at farmer and employee protests. The video is also going viral on social media platforms.
On November 22, the District Bar Association of Sangrur blocked the Ludhiana–Delhi National Highway for nearly four hours, accusing Sangrur AAP MLA Narinder Kaur Bharaj of political interference in a private land dispute pending before a civil court.
Simrandeep Singh, general secretary of the association, said, “One of our members, Jatinderveer Singh, has a plot in Sangrur in an area close to the MLA’s residence and the matter is pending in a civil court, but the MLA interfered and tried to get a wall erected at one end. Our association president requested the MLA not to interfere, but she entered into a confrontation with the lawyers. Due to this, they protested and even got the wall demolished.”
He added that the bar association, of which Bharaj is also a member, has unanimously barred her from its functions. A 10-day ultimatum has been given to the administration and police. Lawyers have sought a written apology from the MLA for her alleged high-handedness and undue political interference, sources from the Sangrur bar association said.
Bharaj, however, rejected the accusations, calling them politically motivated and asserting she has always supported the legal fraternity. She has even told the media that she herself is a lawyer and knows how to become a member of the bar again.
Another embarrassment surfaced for the ruling party on November 19 when parts of tractor-trolleys—allegedly stolen on March 19, 2025, after the government forcibly lifted the 13-month-long dharna of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and SKM non-political from the Shambhu and Khanauri borders—were recovered from the compound of the executive officer’s residence in Nabha. The discovery, during excavation by the Crime Investigation Agency and the Nabha police, reignited outrage among farmer unions. Farmers alleged that suspended AAP leader Pankaj Pappu was involved in this matter. Pappu’s wife, Sujata Chawla, is the president of Nabha Nagar Council.
“The Nabha MLA Dev Mann from AAP protects leaders like Pappu due to which such incidents happen,” Gamdoor Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Azad said. He added that earlier this year, a person close to Ghanaur MLA Gurlal Ghanaur was arrested for theft of farmers’ trolleys. Both Mann and Ghanaur have denied the allegations. To contain damage, AAP suspended Pappu and his wife from party activities.
Meanwhile, the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers Association (PSEBEA) has escalated its confrontation with the state power minister Sanjeev Arora. The association alleges excessive political interference in Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL), especially after the suspension of chief engineer Harish Sharma on November 2 and the termination of director generation Harjeet Singh on November 4. The engineers will begin a statewide agitation on Wednesday by boycotting all official WhatsApp groups, with a large protest planned for December 2 in Patiala.
Government employees under the banner of Purani Pension Bahali Sangharsh Committee, seeking the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), contractual education department employees seeking regularisation and various other unions will also continue protests against the state government.
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